Constantine Lymperopoulos

Service quality effect on satisfaction and word of mouth in the health care industry

Purpose – This paper aims to study the effect of service quality (SQ) dimensions on satisfaction and word of mouth (WOM) for maternities in Greece.Design/methodology/approach – Based on Parasuraman et al.s SERVQUAL variables, the authors tried to identify the effects of each variable to satisfaction and WOM. Data were collected through field research among 1,000 mothers who have given birth to a child during the last five years, and the data were analysed using SEM.Findings – The results suggest that, in addition to “satisfaction”, the only service quality dimension that directly affects WOM, is “empathy”. In addition, “empathy” affects “responsiveness”, “assurance” and “tangibles” which in turn have only an indirect effect to WOM through “satisfaction”.Research limitations/implications – Limitations relate to the use of a non‐probability sample and the restricted geographical area of the field research. This study contributes to the body of academic knowledge by shedding more light into the role of SQ d...

Branch employees’ perceptions towards implications of e‐banking in Greece

This paper aims to identify the potential effects of e‐banking through literature and surveys the Greek branch employees’ perceptions towards them. According to the relevant literature review the 14 main implications of e‐banking adoption were identified. Based on these findings, a questionnaire was designed and completed by 527 branch employees. Data factor analysis revealed the existence of four distinct factors which were named banks’ “hard advantages”, “soft advantages”, “market effects”, and “risk”, whereas further analysis provided evidence of the relationship that exists among the perceptions, the personal characteristics of the respondents and the organisational characteristics of their banks.

The effect of personality traits on private brand consumer tendencies

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the association between three personality traits (individualism, materialism and the “need for cognition”) and two characteristics of shoppers who buy private‐label brands (their predisposition to do so, and the importance they attach to the “brand dimensions”) across four member countries of the Union of the Mediterranean.Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire in the local language, using questions, items and scales adapted from previous studies, was completed by 683 undergraduate students. The scaled data were analysed by SPSS, and tested for internal reliability and equivalence.Findings – Overall, the personality traits were significantly associated with both behavioural characteristics. Specifically, materialism and the need for cognition were linked to inclination to purchase private brands, and materialism and individualism to the perceived importance of brand dimensions. Cross‐cultural differences were found.Originality/value – The demogr...

The role of price satisfaction in managing customer relationships: the case of financial services

Purpose – The financial services market is constantly changing in terms of both competition and consumer behaviour. Customer switching is increasing, while bank marketers attempt to maintain a loyal customer base, in order for the banks to survive and be profitable. The aim of this research was to provide deeper insight into the direct effect of price satisfaction as expressed by its various dimensions on bank customer switching behaviour.Design/methodology/approach – The research involved a review of the literature on factors affecting customer switching behaviour, with a particular emphasis on the role of price. In order to obtain the necessary data, a survey was designed and conducted in the greater Athens area. The questionnaire was administered to 306 bank customers by means of personal interviews.Findings – The data analysis suggests that bank customer “intentions to switch banks” are affected by the level of their “price satisfaction”. “Price satisfaction” in turn is affected positively by “transpa...

Investigating the “new product acceptance function” in Greek enterprises

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide insights into the relationship between quality and accessibility, as selective influencing parameters of new product acceptance for Greek, fast moving, and consumer products.Design/methodology/approach – The data for this study come from a mail questionnaire sent to 680 executives operating in Greek enterprises, by using a combination of sampling criteria (advertising budget, turnover). Non‐parametric tests (Wilcoxon, Spearman, Kruskal‐Wallis and Pearson χ2) were used, together with descriptive measures to test the hypotheses.Findings – The results indicate that quality (usage/support) is a more important factor than Accessibility (economic/physical) in the formation of a “new product acceptance function”. Furthermore, usage quality is more important than support quality, while economic accessibility is more important than physical accessibility.Research limitations/implications – The research limitations refer to the fact that the justification of the hyp...